SHILLONG: The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pro-VC) of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Prof. Sumarbin Umdor, has directed the cancellation of the Executive Council (EC) meeting scheduled to be held on November 14, 2025, in New Delhi. The meeting was to be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. P. S. Shukla.
The decision comes in the wake of intensified protests by student and teacher bodies opposing the Delhi-based meeting, which they allege violates university norms and ministry directives.
Student Protests Prompt Action
The cancellation followed a protest and office gherao on Monday by the North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
Addressing the protesting students, Prof. Umdor clarified that the decision was made to avoid a repeat of the disruptive incidents that occurred last year, emphasizing the need to maintain academic stability and institutional integrity.
“The cancellation is a preventive step to ensure that no situation arises which could again disrupt the students’ academic environment or damage the university’s reputation,” he said.
Earlier, the student bodies had locked the administrative block in protest against the proposed EC meeting in Delhi under the leadership of VC Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla.
Faculty Association Joins Opposition
The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) had also written to all Executive Council members, urging them to boycott the meeting, which they termed “illegally convened” by the Vice-Chancellor.
NEHUTA President Prof. Lakhon Kma and General Secretary Dr. Marbhador M. Khymdeit stated that Prof. Shukla has been absent from duty for nearly a year (354 days), following ongoing protests by students, teachers, and staff against his alleged administrative failures over the past three years.
Earlier Agreement with Ministry of Education
NEHUTA further recalled that on May 22, 2025, a team from the Ministry of Education (MoE) had intervened to restore peace at NEHU. During a joint discussion involving Ministry officials, NEHU Executive Council members, NEHUSU, and NEHUTA, it was agreed that the EC meeting held in Delhi on May 30, 2025, would be the last meeting chaired by Prof. Shukla.
The agreement stipulated that henceforth, university affairs would be administered by the Pro Vice-Chancellors, in accordance with NEHU statutes.
“The Ministry-mediated understanding was clear — Prof. Shukla was not to interfere in the university’s day-to-day administration,” NEHUTA reiterated.
Violation of Ministry Directive
The teachers’ body also cited a Ministry of Education directive (Letter No. 20-13/2024-CU.IV, dated August 20, 2024) which specifically instructs all Central Universities to hold statutory meetings — including those of the Executive Council and Finance Committee — only within their campus premises.
NEHUTA and NEHUSU allege that the decision to convene the EC meeting in Delhi was a blatant violation of this order and a deliberate attempt by the Vice-Chancellor to bypass university stakeholders in Shillong.
Call for Institutional Stability
With tensions continuing to mount, the Pro-VC’s move to cancel the meeting has been welcomed by both student and faculty bodies as a necessary step toward restoring order on campus.
However, both groups have urged the Ministry of Education to enforce its earlier directives and ensure that university governance remains transparent and accountable to statutory norms.
